covering weeds

[tobyw]

Hi,
I have a rather large back garden and at the moment half of it is covered with weeds.
I managed to do some weeding over the Summer and I put weed fabric down with bark chippings on top. However I am suffering badly from a bad back which is preventing me from further weeding. I would love to tidy up the remainder of the garden over the winter. Is it possible to put the fabric and mulch down without first weeding. Would the weeds just die when covered?
I would appreciate any advice.

[AlBags]

If absolutely black ... yes, most will.
Some root systems like nettle, etc will tolerate this for a long time tho, so if it were me, I would use a weedkiller (non-systemic) first.

[rowanwitch]

and if you haven't got japanese knotweed.... weedkiller as suggested by Albags then membrane etc

[AlBags]

It's alright for you .. You've Redman now to do the forking over!

[landscaper2]

Hit with Glyphosate herbicide(Roundup) now which will kill the weeds, roots and all. Another zap in the spring if anything pops up, the fabric will then take care of any germinating seeds.

[tobyw]

Thanks all

[jamesnan]

We took over an allotment which was covered in tall varied and pernicious weeds, and found the best thing to do was spray with Roundup, and then wait a few weeks for it to work. The whole lot just died off, and was easily removed roots and all. A fabric weed repressant keeps the whole lot clear till ready to use. You would therefore start with clear ground in the first place.

[landscaper2]

Is that your opinion Sprinter or is there reliable and unbiased scientific evidence that backs you up?

[RATTER15]

Roundup is a great product and been in use for many years!

Im happy to use it!

[agardner09]

Whilst I agree Sprinter that Round up is no friend of the environment I do not believe it is noxious i.e. poisonous (except to the weeds). It does I am told change into a nitrate when it reacts with the soil changing it into a fertiliser however when you consider how many tons of nitrates are used by our beloved farmers the relatively small amount used by gardeners is small beer. One last thought, if you are going to use round up, and I for one would say it's probably the best solution, then remember it will be far more effective when the weeds first sprout in the spring rather than now.